Exercises — Chapter 12: The Budget Justification

Part C writes your real justification. Selected answers in the appendix.

Part A — Recall and Understand

12.1. State the threshold concept. Why is "a reason a reviewer can repeat" the standard?

12.2. Define necessary, reasonable, and allocable. What is a "basis of estimate"?

12.3. Why is describing (restating numbers) not justifying?

12.4. What three documents must the justification reconcile with, and what are you checking?

12.5. Why do indirect costs need the most careful justification, and how do you frame them honestly?

12.6. Why does a well-justified line resist budget cuts?

Part B — Apply

12.7. Justify a line. Turn "Travel: \$2,400" into a justification establishing necessity, reasonableness, and basis (invent plausible specifics).

12.8. Fix the description. Rewrite this as a real justification: "Personnel: \$57,000. Fringe: \$14,250. These cover staff. Supplies: \$4,500 for materials."

12.9. Pre-answer the question. A budget has a \$1,500/day consultant. Write the justification that answers "is that reasonable?" before it's asked.

12.10. Defend indirect. A foundation officer asks, "Why 12% indirect — isn't that money not reaching the cause?" Write a confident two-sentence answer.

12.11. Spot the drift. A table cuts a \$2,000 trip but the justification still describes it. Name the problem and the fix.

Part C — Analyze and Create (your real project)

12.12. Justify each significant line of your budget (necessity + reasonableness + basis), each a reason a reviewer could repeat.

12.13. Pre-answer your questionable lines (large purchases, rates, high/low effort) as if answering the reviewer's exact question.

12.14. Justify your indirect costs honestly as necessary infrastructure, tuned to your funder's stance.

12.15. Tie to the narrative. For each line, add a phrase connecting it to a specific narrative activity where you can.

12.16. Reconcile. Run the eight-point checklist; verify every total agrees across justification, table, and narrative.

Part M — Mixed Review

12.17. (From Ch 11) What does the justification add to the budget table, and why isn't the table enough?

12.18. (From Ch 9) How is justification like pitfalls-and-alternatives?

12.19. (From Ch 5) Why is one number mismatch among table/justification/narrative so costly?

Reflection

12.20. Learning check-in. Which of your lines did you most want to bury (hope the reviewer wouldn't notice)? Why is leading with its justification the better move?